TRANSCRIPT: SOUTHERN REGION

N559DW: Miami Center. King Air five-five niner delta whiskey.

NATHAN HENKELS: Five-five niner delta whiskey, Miami Center hears you loud and clear…

N559DW: I’ve gotta’ declare an emergency. My pilot’s…unconscious. I need help up here.

N559DW: I need to get this thing on the ground. I’m flyin’ a King Air…

N559DW: My pilot’s deceased…[broken words]…I need help.

N559DW: I need a King Air pilot to talk to.

HENKELS: Alright, uh, all aircraft standby. Five-five niner delta whiskey, and uh, are you, uh, at the cockpit now?

N559DW: I’m in the co-pilot seat. Get him out.

HENKELS: Niner delta whiskey, I understand you are able to fly an aircraft?

N559DW: Single engine. I need to get off this… I’m going to eleven thousand. I need to get… level.

HENKELS: Niner delta whiskey, uh, are you, uh, able to maintain one-two thousand?

N559DW: Do I turn off the altimeter or not? It’s steady climbin’ and…but it looks to me like my, uh, altitude of descent is on ten thousand. I dunno why I keep goin’ climbin’. I need to figure out how to level off…

HENKELS: You think the autopilot is on?

N559DW: I know it’s on.

N559DW: The altitude set is ten thousand but I’m going through thirteen now. It should have leveled off at ten so how do I stop that is what I want to know.

N559DW: I’ve already busted ten thousand. I’m steady climbin’. I need to stop the climb.

N559DW: Alright, stay with me Miami! Let’s go!

HENKELS: Five-five niner delta whiskey, I’m here, don’t worry. We’re tryin’ to find the solution to that. Stand by…

LISA GRIMM: OK, November five-five niner delta whiskey, when you look at the center console there, you don’t see anything with the… the autopilot’s unable to disengage?

N559DW: Uh, I dunno. I know where the autopilot switch is down there. It’s on engage right now. I can engage it if you, uh, disengage it, that’s fine.

GRIMM: November five delta whiskey, disengage the autopilot. We’re gonna have you, we’re gonna have you hand fly the plane.

GRIMM: OK, hold the yoke level and disengage the autopilot.

N559DW: Alright, I disengaged it. I’m flyin’ the airplane by hand.

N559DW: You find me the longest, widest runway you can, ma’am.

GRIMM: November five delta whiskey, roger. I’m gonna try to keep ya… hold the plane level…you’re doing pretty good, one-seven thousand…try to hold the plane level now at one-seven thousand…

GRIMM: Alright, November five delta whiskey, we’re gonna start a slow, shallow descent. Just easy down on the yoke, a slight descent. We’re gonna get you down to one-one eleven thousand.

GRIMM: Pull back, pull back slightly on the throttle and just ease over the yoke gently.

GRIMM: Whatever you’re comfortable with, we’ll just try to make a nice shallow five hundred feet per minute descent.

N559DW: I got a one thousand feet per second.

GRIMM: November five delta whiskey, that, that’s fantastic.

N559DW: Niner delta whiskey, straight ahead on a heading of, uh, oh about three thousand….

HENKELS: Circus eighty-six contact Miami Approach one-three-three point seven- seven.

C86: Alright ya’ll. Good luck.

GRIMM: ‘K, November five delta whiskey, you doin’ alright there descending?

PILOT: Oh, we’re havin’ a hoot, niner delta whiskey. Sixteen thousand, uh, eleven, uh, thousand foot per minute descent, niner delta whiskey.

GRIMM: ‘K, November niner…uh, November niner delta whiskey, just so you know what we’re doing here, we’re gonna get you down to one-one thousand. We’re gonna make you…give you a turn to the west, we’re gonna hand you off to Fort Myers Approach and they’ve got some controllers there that also have pilot experience and they’re gonna talk you all the way in there to the landing there. Do you have any experience in a King Air?

PILOT: Negative.

GRIMM: Alright November niner delta whiskey, you’re doin’ a real good job. Just keep…you’re doing a right, a very good…keeping your heading, you’re doin’ a real nice descent there.

GRIMM: ‘K, November five delta whiskey, just a nice easy turn to the left, whatever you’re comfortable with. Real shallow, real gentle on the controls. You’re gonna turn left, fly a heading of, uh, about a two-seven-zero heading and continue that descent down to one-one thousand, whatever you’re comfortable with.

GRIMM: And November five delta whiskey, just, just to put your mind at ease, there’s good weather at, uh, Fort Myers, there’s no weather in the way. It’s VFR.

GRIMM: ‘K, November five delta whiskey, just so you know the plan, we’re gonna bring you around to Fort Myers. They’ve got the longer runway and, uh, we’re gonna get you, uh, the most, uh, available runway for your landing. You’re gonna do fine.

GRIMM: You have any questions about what you’re doin’ right now? You OK?

PILOT: Yeah, we’re great, niner delta whiskey. Thank you.

GRIMM: ‘K, November nine delta whiskey, real nice job on that turn there, and you’re gonna be talking to Fort Myers Approach here in just a minute. Like I said, they’re gonna take their time and talk to you and get you down safe.

GRIMM: It will be one-three-two point zero-seven.

PILOT: Let’s see if I can find it without screwing this up.

PILOT: Can I set this altitude set at eleven thousand and turn the autopilot back on?

GRIMM: November five delta whiskey, if you would, uh, like, if that makes you more comfortable you can do that.

PILOT: I can’t do it, it messes up my heading.

GRIMM: Five delta whiskey, roger. It’s probably, there’s a little bug for the heading that you can, uh, twist over, uh, to get established with the autopilot but why don’t we, you’re doing such a good job here hand flying, why don’t we keep you, um, on that heading. You’re doing well. It looks like your just about level at one-one thousand, holding it well, and now if you can it’s gonna be one-three-two point zero-seven.

GRIMM: So what I’m gonna do, November five delta whiskey, is contact Fort Myers Approach one-three-two point zero-seven by pushing two. If you do not get them just switch it again and you’ll be talking to me.

-- Switch to Fort Myers (RSW)

PILOT: Fort Myers Center. King Air, five-five niner delta whiskey.

BRIAN NORTON: King Air, five-five niner delta whiskey, Fort Myers Approach. And, uh, are you in the descent right now, sir?

PILOT: I am. Whatchu want me to do with it? Hold it or what?

NORTON: Actually, if you can, uh, we can just start a descent down to five thousand… and we’re gettin’ some help from another pilot that’s familiar with the airplane. We’ll get you some information. Can you descent the airplane?

PILOT: I can. Down to five thousand on a heading two-seven-zero. This is a King Air, uh, two hundred.

NORTON: And November niner delta whiskey, are you using the autopilot or are you flying the airplane?

PILOT: I’m in the good lord’s hands flying this niner delta whiskey.

NORTON: Ok, very good. Thank you.

PILOT: I need to slow my descent down. It’s twenty-five hundred feet per minute. I need to get my throttle set for this descent. I dunno where, I dunno where to set it at.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, the information I have is to pre-select the, pre-select the autopilot but don’t turn it on yet. You can go to the center console on the instrument panel and pre-select five thousand feet but, uh, don’t engage it yet…and I’ll get you information on how to do that.

PILOT: I got it pre-set at five thousand, I know how to engage it but I got to get rid of the heading bug that’s hooked to this autopilot.

PILOT: I’m a hundred fifty knots, I need to keep stallin’ this airplane. I’m going into a little descent here.

NORTON: OK sir, just advance the throttles and your altitude’s good so I guess just pick up the speed with the throttles and try to hold five thousand feet.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, the information I’m getting now is to leave the props and the power where it’s at and just fly like you normally would a single engine for now.

NORTON: You got any alarms or warnings going off?

PILOT: No, just heavy trim.

NORTON: How many souls onboard?

PILOT: Five.

NORTON: Now they’re telling me the trim control is on the yoke and it’s on the left-hand side of the yoke where the thumb would be…on the upper left hand side of the yoke for the trim.

PILOT: Understand.

NORTON: And, uh, nine delta whiskey, just want to verify you do have the autopilot off?

PILOT: I got the two black buttons on disengaged, which is down on the console.

NORTON: OK, sir. Thank you.

NORTON: … hold the gear for just a minute.

PILOT: Oh, I was going to, I’m just tellin’ ya I know where the gear control is…niner delta whiskey.

NORTON: OK, that’s good. That’s good information. Do you know where the flap control handle is?

PILOT: I do. I don’t know what setting to put them on.

NORTON: We’re gettin’ that information right now. They’re listenin’ to ya.

NORTON: And, niner delta whiskey, it’ll be Runway Six. It’s a twelve thousand foot runway so you’re gonna have plenty of runway to work with, and we got equipment standin’ by and, uh, it’s all yours.

NORTON: We’re lookin’ for a hundred sixty knots indicated you can start the gear down. Right now I’m showing your ground speed right at a hundred sixty knots.

PILOT: I think I see a runway at twelve o’clock and about seven, eight miles, niner delta whiskey.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, that’s correct. You’re lookin’ at the right runway. That’s Runway Six at International…and you’re about a fifteen mile final now so you got the gear goin’ down yet sir?

PILOT: Negative. I’m descending. I need to, uh, get down to two thousand and, uh, get my speed down, niner delta whiskey.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, and the last instruction I got, when you get to a hundred fifty knots, the flap control will say approach flaps on there, just select that detent when you get to a hundred fifty knots.

PILOT: Two thousand eight hundred, niner delta whiskey. One sixty-five indicated.

NORTON: Sounds good, you’re right on the money. You’re lined up for the runway so altitude at your discretion. You can proceed visually just let me know when you have the gear and the flaps down.

PILOT: OK, gear going down.

PILOT: When I touch down, if I ever touch down, do I just kill the throttle or what?

NORTON: That’s correct. When you touch down slowly kill the throttle.

PILOT: Got a dead pilot sittin’ beside me.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, you don’t have to respond. More information, once you make it onto the ground, just center line with the rutter pedals, you kill the throttle, and maximum breaking.

PILOT: …I keep this pilot off the control…

NORTON: You have plenty of runway sir, so if you gotta add a lot a power to make the threshold that’s fine, you got twelve thousand feet of runway.

NORTON: Looks good from here. Good job.

PILOT: It ain’t over 'til it’s over, friend.

NORTON: Nine delta whiskey, the runway’s all yours. You can, uh, turn left or right, whatever’s easier for you. Power all the way back, and they’re telling me max breaking.

PILOT: We’re down buddy, thank you.

NORTON: Nice work.